The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes a behemoth as something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.

The re-election of Gov. Branstad to Terrace Hill resulted in the return of Palmer to head the agency he led for a decade – a behemoth – responsible for the expenditure of more than five billion tax dollars annually. The Medicaid Program alone, minus the Iowa Health and Wellness Programs, is nearly four billion dollars with a significant portion of that paid for by Iowa taxpayers. (See the Issue Review for more details).

UrbanIowaToday.com (UIT) will begin a monthly series in January exploring fully the agency that serves nearly one million unduplicated clients.

On October 21, 2015, however, we didn’t focus on the agency as much as the insights Palmer could share, why his agency is vital to our state and his vision going forward.